Mentoring Matters: Mentor Wants To Tap Into Full Potential
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POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) - Redeveloping communities into thriving business hubs takes a lot of time, hard work, and yes, even some mentoring from experts.
One local mentor-mentee duo uses their expertise to transform neighborhoods, one city at a time.
At Odd Breed Brewery in Pompano Beach, the beer flows as freely as the admiration between Sharon McCormick and Farrell Tiller.
"Sharon has been such a good help," Tiller says of his mentor.
"He has that. He has that special thing," McCormick adds of Tiller.
While their mentor-mentee relationship is just a few years old, these two go way back.
"I've known him since he was a child. When we had an opportunity 4 years ago to hire him as an intern I knew he was a great kid. But I didn't know fully," McCormick said. "It's an honor to be able to guide him."
They work together at Redevelopment Management Associates.
McCormick is the Director of Business Attraction and Marketing and Tiller is the Economic Development Manager.
McCormick wants to help Tiller tap into his full potential.
"With us, our mentoring is younger millennial employees so they can help businesses get open, get started and really change a city. They can reinvent a city," McCormick said.
And that's what they're doing in Old Town Pompano Beach where Odd Breed Brewery is now up and running.
Tiller says part of his job is making sure businesses in Old Town survive and thrive.
"We're trying to help build wealth in communities," Tiller told CBS 4's Lauren Pastrana. "Improving the economic environment, the physical environment, and also the quality of life."
In a way, Tiller, McCormick and the team at RMA are mentoring this community, using their knowledge and experience to help return Old Town to its former glory.
"I think having a mentor is huge," Tiller said. "It's everything. Sharon is so good at, she'll push us to the edge but not let us fall off the edge. I think that's where the mentor comes in. You can put yourself on that ledge, but have somebody there that can help you."
"Its a legacy," McCormick said. "You know that the hard work you put in to change a community is going to continue because we've been able to give this, whatever we have, pass it on to them. It's an honor. It's so rewarding."
McCormick and Tiller and the entire team at RMA are proud of the growth so far at Old Town.
If you want to see their efforts firsthand, you can check out "Old Town Untapped" the first Friday of each month.